Apparatus for folding wrappers around tablets



Aprfl 17, 1934. F. GROVER 1,955,493

APPARATUS FOR FOLDING WRAPPERS AROUND TABLETS Filed May 5, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 17, 1934. ER 1,955,493

APPARATUS FOR FOLDING WRAPPERS AROUND TABLETS Filed May 5, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 17, 1934. GROVER 1,955,493

APPARATUS FOR FOLDING WRAPPERS'AROUND TABLETS Filed May 3, 1953 "4 Sheets-Sheet a A rifl 17, 1934. F. GROVER 1,955,493

APPARATUS FOR FOLDING WRAPPERS AROUND TABLETS Filed May 3, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 5 Z d l I i j 2%; 7 1' P 5 9. Z d Lflai' a? dj/ 3 Z. 11. 8., 12, ::1 i r #5 g 5 z z u? 5L. F. Z] Z 3 055 2 d Zj 142. all; 14

0' ii 1/ 64 J 4/ Patented Apr. 17, 1 934 PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR FOLDING WRAPPERS AROUND TABLETS Frederick Grover, Leeds, England, asslgnor to The Forgrove Machinery CompanyLimited,

Leeds, England Application May 3, 1933, Serial No. 669,232 In Great Britain July 1, 1932 5 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for folding wrappers around tablets and refers to that class of such in which the wrapper is first folded around three sides of the tablet by causing the tablet to 5 push the wrapper through an opening or through dies, then folding the ends of the wrapper one over the other against the remaining side of the tablet by folding devices in order to form a tubular wrapper about the tablet, and, finally twisting the open tubular ends of the wrapper by means of twisting devices.

The object of the present invention is to provide apparatus which will act to retain in its proper position, a wrapper which is fed horizontally into a position above the tablet while this wrapper is moved vertically upwards with the tablet, through guides which act to fold the projecting side parts of the wrapper downwardly against the vertical sides of the tablet; said apparatus also acting to support the ends of the wrapper and ensure the correct formation of the open tubular ends thereof. 1

According to this invention a disc feed plate having a number of openings therein adapted to receive the tablets and to feed them in succession to upper and lower plungers which act to feed the tablets vertically upwards, the tablets being supported in the said openings by a thin annulus fixed in the under surface of the disc and leaving spaces at either side through which upstanding bifurcations of the lower plunger'can pass. The lower plunger is also provided with two upstanding side projections of greater height than the said bifurcations, one of which side projections is located beyond the peripheryof the disc and the other of which is adapted to extend through one of a series of holes or through a slot in the disc, so that these side projections act as formers for keeping the edges of the wrapper which are to be formed into open tubular ends from collapsing when the wrapper is fed into said pocket.

The invention will now be described with reference to the embodiment illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a part of the wrapping machine with which this invention is concerned.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the rotary feed disc and upper and lower guide members for the tablet in section on the line 22 in Fig. 1, the mechanism being shown in the position it occupies at the beginning of the first wrapperfolding operation.

Fig. 3 shows a fragment of Fig. 2 with the mechanism in the position it occupies at the end of the first wrapper-folding operation.

Figs. 4 and 5 are similar views to Fig. 3, but illustrate the position of the mechanism in the second and third wrapper-folding operations respectively.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section of the feed disc on the line 6--6 in Fig. 2, illustrating the construction of the feed disc and of the upper and lower plungers.

Figs. 7-16 illustrate diagrammatically in elevation and plan the tablet and its wrapper and show the steps in the folding and wrapper end twisting operations.

In the construction illustrated the paper is fed from a reel (not shown) to a point where it is carried horizontally through knives a for cutting off the paper into lengths and through a gripping device b for supporting the free end of the paper after a length has been severed. From this position the paper is fed by being drawn by tongslike wrapper grippers comprising jaws c, 0 the jaw a being formed on the end of a slide 0 mounted in the machine frame and reciprocated through a link 0 by a lever operated by cam mechanism (not shown). The jaw c is pivotally mounted at c on the slide 0 and is fixed to an arm (2 carrying at its end a roller 0" which contacts with the head 0 of a plunger 0 which is vertically reciprocated in the cycle of the machine operations, so that when the wrapper gripper has been moved through the knives a this is caused to grip the leading edge of the paper and then by reciprocating the slide 0 to the right the wrapper gripper acts to draw the paper into the position shown in Fig. 2 when the required length of paper marked d is severed by closing the knives. The jaw c is then raised to release the leading edge of the paper by retracting the plunger 0 In this way the required length of paper is fed into position between lower guides e and upper guides e Beneath the lower guide member 9 there is mounted to rotate intermittently a disc f having a number of tablet receiving openings f extending through it parallel to its axis, these tablet receiving openings being partially obstructed by a thin annulus f sunk in its under surface. In a corresponding radial position to each of said tablet receiving openings, further openings g (hereinafter termed former openings) are provided in the disc for the passage of a side projection bifurcations h, h adapted to pass through the tablet receiving opening with its furcations one at either side of the annulus f as shown in Fig. 6, so as to move vertically upwards a tablet i received in said opening and carry this tablet through the lower guide into contact with the under surface of the length d of wrapping. material fed into position, as previously explained. When in this position an upper plunger support 7' carried by and reciprocated vertically in the cycle of the machine by a plunger 9' is caused to bear on the upper surface of the wrapper and hold this and the tablet firmly in the required position. The mechanism is now in the position shown in Fig. 2 ready for commencing the first wrapper-folding operation, the tablet and the wrapper being in the respective positions shown in Fig. 7.

The upward movement of the plunger )2. is now continued and the plunger support is allowed to move upwardly while being maintained firmly in contact with the wrapper, so that the wrapper d and tablet i are carried through the upper guide e and into a position above it, where said tablet and wrapper are received by crank arms In, k In this movement through the upper guide one pair of opposite projecting sides (P, d of the wrapper are folded downwards against the vertical edges i i of the tablet. The remaining pair of opposite projecting sides (F, d of the wrapper at the ends i 1' of the tablet are not, however, required to be folded down against the ends of the tablet but these are retained in the required extending position by two formers 72 it carried on the lower plunger h and extended upwardly where they contact with the under surface of the wrapper in alignment with the top of the tablet, so as to ensure that the wrapper is folded along its whole length to the required trou in shape. One 71 of these formers passes up through one of the former openings g in the disc, the other n being situated beyond the periphery of the disc. The first wrapper-folding operation is now completed, the mechanism being moved into the position shown in Fig. 3 and the wrapper having been folded to the form shown in Fig. 8.

The wrapper and tablet having been moved into a position where they are received by the crank grippers k and k mounted on spindles k is one of which spindles is provided with a crank arm (not shown), carrying at its end a roller which runs on a cam (not shown) fixed to the shaft k so that in certain positions the gripper k is moved outwardly away from the gripper Id. The spindles k k are interconnected by the toothed segments so that when movement is imparted to k a similar movement is imparted to W. The cam is so arranged that when the grippers are moved into a position to receive the tablet and its wrapper these grippers are allowed to move inwardly under the action of the spring k so as to clamp the wrapper parts folded down against the edges of the tablet and thus hold the wrapper and tablet while the lower plunger 71. is withdrawn. After the withdrawal of the lower plunger h a movable finger Z carried on an arm I is rocked in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4, so that the depending side d of the wrapper is folded upwardly against the under horizontal surface of the tablet, against which it is closely held by the finger Z. The mechanism is now in the position shown in Fig. 4 having folded the wrapper into the position shown in Fig. 9.

The crank grippers k, k form part of a wheel carrier, the hub k of which is rotatable by the shaft is in the cycle of the machine operations, so that the crank gripp rs can carry the tablet and its wrapper round from the position shown in Fig. 4 in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 5. In this movement the crank gripp rs move in the same direction as that in which the folding finger moved, in order to bring the remaining depending side 11 of the wrapper against the stationary folding finger m which then-folds said remaining side upwardly over the side d? which was previously folded on the under side of the tablet. The mechanism is now in the position shown in Fig. 5 and the wrapperis folded into a complete tube containing the tablet within the closing folds arranged on the broader under surface of the tablet, the wrapper having open tubular projecting ends, as shown in Fig. 10.

The movement of the tablet and its wrapper is continued beyond the position shown-in Fig. 5 and the closing folds are held against the tablet by the stationary finger m until the crank grippers have moved through from the position shown in Fig. 4, when they are brought into a position between opposed twist grippers n, n (Figs. 1 and 2).. These twist grippers n, n are of well-known construction arranged to close about the projecting ends of the wrapper and, during the twisting of the wrapper, to advance towards the tablet. The spindles 12 n carrying the grippers are continuously rotated by gearing n n 12. n from the shaft 12 In this position the open tubular ends of the wrapper are twisted while the tablet and centre of the wrapper are held bythe crank grippers so that the wrapper is now in the position shown in Fig. 11.

Thereafter the twist grippers are withdrawn and the crank grippers are moved in two steps through 180 into a position where they come into the path of an ejecting arm 0, in which position the crank grippers are positively moved apart against the action of the spring 70 so as to allow the ejector arm 0 to move between them and thus eject the wrapped tablet.

As shown, the wheel carrier comprises four sets of crank grippers k, W, so that when one crank gripper is in a position to receive the tablet and its wrapper at the end of the first folding operation, a second set of crank grippers is opposite the twist grippers while a third set of crank grippers are located at the ejection point. In this way the wrapping operations take place successively with the of delay, the various sets of crank grippers being intermittently rotated into the desired positons.

The upper and lower guides e and e have their right and left hand parts mounted by means of bosses e c (Fig. 1) on a fixed slide member e so that the space between these guiding members can be carried to suit different sizes of tablets to be wrapped, the bosses being fixed in adjusted positions by the set screws 6 e Similarly, the slide 0 is provided with a number of holes 0 in any one of which the pin 0 of the link 0 can be fixed so that the travel of the slide can be adjusted to vary the length of paper drawn from the reel and severed in accordance with the size of the tablet to be wrapped. By this means the machine can be readily adapted to wrap any one of a large variety of different shapes and sizes of tablets by making very simple changes in the mechanism and by effecting very simple adjustmerits.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

Apparatus for folding wrappers around tablets comprising means for supporting the tablet to be wrapped; a plunger for feeding said tablet vertically from said supporting means; wrapper formers at either side of said plunger extending above the plunger; means for feeding a wrapper into a position above said wrapper formers; an upper plunger support adapted to extend across the wrapper formers so as to grip the wrapper between said formers and said support while it is being fed upwards with the tablet; means for receiving said wrapper and tablet whereby the wrapper is folded into a trough shape and means for completing the folding of the wrapper around said tablet.

2; Apparatus for folding wrappers around tablets comprising a disc feed plate having a number of tablet openings adapted to receive the tablets to be wrapped, and having a former opening at the side of each tablet opening; a plunger for feeding each tablet vertically from said feed plate; wrapper formers at either side of said plunger extending above the plunger, at least gone of said wrapper formers being adapted to pass through one of said former openings; means for feeding a wrapper horizontally into a position above said wrapper formers; an upper plunger support adapted to extend across the wrapper formers so as to grip the wrapper between said formers and said support while it is being fed by said plunger; means for receiving said wrapper and tablet whereby it is folded into a trough shape and means for completing the folding of the wrapper around said tablet.

3. Apparatus for folding wrappers around tablets comprising a disc feed plate having a number of former openings and a number of openings adapted to receive the tablets to be wrapped and to feed them successively to a feed'ng position; a plunger for feeding said tablet vertically from said feed plate; wrapper formers on said plunger, one passing through said former openings and the other located beyond the periphery of the disc feed plate and adapted to keep two opposed edges of the wrapper from collapsing when the wrapper is folded; a lower gu de for said tablet; means for feeding the wrapper horizontally over said lower guide and into the path of the tablet; an upper guide; means adapted to pass through said upper guide and to extend across the wrapper formers so as to grip the wrapper against said formers while it is moved through said upper guide and folded into trough shape 1 with its base against one horizontal surface and its sides extending vertically against opposed edges of the tablet; means for receivingand holding the wrapper folded against the tablet; means for closing said vertically extending wrapper sides one over the other against the remaining horizontal surface of the tablet to form said wrapper into a tube with open ends and means for twisting said open ends.

4. Apparatus for folding wrappers around tablets comprising a disc feed plate having a number of tablet openings therein adapted to receive the tablets to be wrapped, and to feed them successively to a feeding position, and having former openings at the side of each tablet opening; an annulus extending around the under surface of said plate and supporting the tablets in said openings, a bifurcated lower plunger adapted to pass at either side of said annulus for feeding each tablet vertically from said feed plate; wrapper formers at either side of said lower plunger and extending above said lower plunger, at least one of said wrapper formers being adapted to pass throughone of said former openings; a lower guide for said tablet; means for feeding the wrapper horizontally over said lower guide and wrapper formers and into the path of the tablet; an upper guide; an upper plunger adapted to pass through said upper guide and to extend across the wrapper formers so as to grip the wrapper between said formers and said upper plunger while it is fed through said upper guide by the lower plunger to fold the wrapper into a trough shape with its base against one horizontal surface and its sides extending vertically against opposed edges of the tablet; means for receiving and holding the wrapper folded against the tablet; means for closing said vertically extending wrapper sides 110 one over the other against the remaining horizontal surface of the tablet to form the wrapper into a tube with open ends and means for twisting the open ends of said wrapper.

5. Apparatus for folding wrappers around tab- 115 lets comprising a disc feed plate having a number of tablet openings therein adapted to receive the tablets to be wrapped, and to feed them success vely to a feeding position; an annulus extending around the under surface of said plate and 120 supporting the tablets in said openings; a bifurcated lower plunger adapted to pass at either side of said annulus for feeding said tablet vertically from said feed plate; means for feeding the wrapper hor'zontally over said plate and into the path 125 of the tablet; means for receiving said wrapper and tablet whereby the wrapper is folded into a trough shape; and means for completing the folding of the wrapper around said tablet.

- FREDERICK GROVER. 

